Americans Shine in Women’s Butterfly with Gold and Silver

In an exciting showdown at the Olympics, American swimmers Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh ranked at the top of their game in the women’s 100-meter butterfly event. Huske swam her way to a gold medal, clocking in at an impressive 55.59 seconds, while Walsh closely followed to take home the silver with a time of 55.63 seconds.

Both athletes had already made waves in the pool just the night before, contributing to a silver medal win as part of the U.S. women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay team. Their victory in the butterfly race showcased their incredible talent and competitive spirit.

Taking the bronze medal was Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei, finishing the race at 56.21 seconds. Yufei’s past successes include winning silver in the same event during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Interestingly, she is one of several swimmers from China whose positive drug tests have not been publicly addressed by the World Anti-Doping Agency or Chinese officials.

Canadian swimmer Maggie MacNeil, the gold medalist from the 2021 Olympics, finished fifth in this competition, trailing behind Germany’s Angelina Koehler.

Huske, 21, who is currently taking a break from her studies at Stanford University, aimed to redeem herself after narrowly missing out on a medal in the 100 butterfly back in Tokyo, where she finished fourth. She did, however, managed to snag a silver medal in the women’s 4×100 medley relay during those Games.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Gretchen Walsh is a standout from the University of Virginia and recently broke the world record in the 100 butterfly during the U.S. trials last month. This Olympic performance marks a remarkable comeback for her, especially after not making the U.S. Olympic team three years ago.

Adding to Team USA’s success, Carson Foster claimed bronze in the men’s 400 individual medley earlier in the evening, contributing to the team’s growing medal tally in swimming. So far, the U.S. has celebrated multiple wins including gold in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay, a silver in the women’s relay, and a bronze for Katie Ledecky in the women’s 400 freestyle.